The name biryani is derived from the Persian word bery? which means “fried” or “roasted”.

Preparation:

First clean and wash the mutton pieces. Drain all the water and keep it aside. Next make a paste with green chillies, ginger and garlic. Now add half of the portion of the paste with mutton pieces. Now pressure cook the mutton for 3 to 4 whistles without adding too much water. Then switch off the stove and keep aside. Take a pressure cooker and heat with 5 tsp of ghee. Then add cardamom, cloves, anasi flower, jaji flower, cashew nuts and cinnamon. Fry for few seconds. Then add onions and sauté for 2 mins. Now add tomato pieces and remaining paste. Sauté until the raw smell disappears. Now add washed basmati rice and cooked mutton pieces. Combine well. Then add coconut milk, water, coriander leaves and pudhina leaves. Again combine well and close the pressure cooker. Now pressure cook for 2 whistles and switch off the stove.

Mutton biryani is ready.

Vegetablem Biryani

Ingredients:

2 cups of Basmati rice

3 cups of water

3 tsp ginger garlic paste

4 green chillies

1 lengthwise chopped onion

1 finely chopped tomato

1 stick cinnamon

2 cardamon

fewcloves

few bay leaves

10 cashew nuts

1 cup of thick coconut milk

6 tsp ghee

1 cup of carrots & beans

½ cup of peas

few coriander leaves

few mint leaves

Preparation:

Heat the pressure cooker with ghee. Then add cashew nuts, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaf. Sauté for few mins. Then add onions. Fry for few mins. Next add tomatoes, ginger garlic paste and green chillies. Sauté until the raw smell disappears. Then add carrots, beans and peas. Combine well. Now add rice, coconut milk, water, coriander leaves and mint leaves. Close the pressure cooker. Pressure cook for 2 whistles and switch off the stove. Now your vegetable biryani is ready. Serve hot with onion raitha.

Bean Soup

Ingredients:

500 g sugar beans

25 ml butter

1 onion, finely chopped

pieces of chicken (optional)

65 ml fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 bay leaf

2 litres cold water

finely grated rind of lemon

45 ml fresh parsley, finely chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Soak the beans overnight or according to the quick soaking method. Drain and rinse. Heat the butter in a large saucepan and fry the onion until glossy. Add the chicken and stir-fry until done. Add the drained beans, shin, parsley, bay leaf and cold water and simmer slowly for about four hours until both the beans and chicken are tender. Mash the beans slightly and season with lemon rind, more parsley, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve hot with toast or rye bread.

Soups are served before a formal meal as an appetiser. In winter when the bones are clattering and the teeth are chattering when one thinks of food, the first thing that comes to mind is a bowl of hot and steaming spicy soup. This section contains recipes of some soups which are not only going to treat your taste buds but warm up your shivering bones too.

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow split peas

6 ½ cups water

1 ½ tsp minced fresh ginger

few bay leaves

½ tsp turmeric

2 tablespoons ghee or oil

1 cup or about 250g pumpkin, peeled, seeded and diced 1.25 cm

1 tsp salt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp fenugreek seeds

¼ tsp yellow asafetida powder

6 small dried curry leaves

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or coriander

Preparation:

Wash the dal. Soak it in 4 cups (1 litre) hot water for 5 hours. Drain. Place the split peas, water, ginger, chillie, bay leaf, turmeric, and 2 teaspoons ghee in a heavy, 3-litre/quart sauce pan. Bring pan to a full boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to moderately low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and boil for 1 ½ hours or until the split peas become soft. Add the pumpkin and cook for another 10 minutes or until the pumpkin becomes soft. Add the salt and lemon juice. Heat the remaining ghee or oil in a small pan over moderately high heat. Saute the mustard seeds in the hot oil until they crackle. Add the cumin seeds and when the cumin seeds turn dark golden brown, add the fenugreek seeds. When they darken, add the asafetida and curry leaves, stir once, and empty the contents of the pan into the cooked dal. Add the brown sugar and stir well. Let the dal sit for 1 to 2 minutes; then add chopped herbs. Serve hot

ISSUE 9 SUTRA™

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